Shloka 14
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
(मम माधव सैन्येषु वध्यमानेषु तेन वै । कथं योत्स्याम दुर्धर्ष श्रेयो मे5त्र विधीयताम् ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
mama mādhava sainyeṣu vadhyamāneṣu tena vai |
kathaṃ yotsyāma durdharṣa śreyo me 'tra vidhīyatām ||
tvameva gatirasmākaṃ nānyāṃ gatimupāsmahe |
na yuddhaṃ rocate mahāṃ bhīṣmeṇa saha mādhava |
hanti bhīṣmo mahāvīro mama sainyaṃ ca saṃyuge ||
na caivainaṃ mahātmānamutsahāmo nirīkṣitum |
lelihāmānaṃ sainyeṣu pravṛddhamiva pāvakam ||
サञ्जयは語った。「マーダヴァよ、我らの軍勢が彼に討たれてゆくこの有様で、どうして不撓のビーシュマと戦えようか。ここで、我にとって真に最善となる策を定めてほしい。あなたこそ我らの唯一の帰依処、他に頼る道はない。マーダヴァよ、ビーシュマと戦うことは私の本意ではない。だが大勇士ビーシュマは戦場で我が軍を滅ぼし続けている。燃え盛る火のように軍中を荒れ狂い、矢の“舌”で万物を舐め尽くすその大魂を、我らは見ることすら耐えられぬのだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic dilemma: even in a just or necessary war, fighting revered elders like Bhīṣma can feel ethically repugnant. It also shows the psychological need for a higher guide—addressing Mādhava as the sole refuge—when one’s own judgment is shaken by fear, reverence, and the scale of destruction.
Sañjaya reports the crisis caused by Bhīṣma’s overwhelming prowess on the battlefield. As Bhīṣma devastates the opposing troops like a raging fire, the speaker confesses reluctance to fight him and asks Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) to determine the best course of action, acknowledging him as their only support.